First Time Trip to Disneyland

[daneenm]

I can not even imagine trying to do that, on vacation. lol
Is it really that much different if you walk up at 7:30? I mean how much more do you get done by waiting :30 min in line?

Sadly, in my experience, there is no such thing as ‘walking up at 7:30’ and making it in to the parks before they open for everyone at 8. Security can take a very long time (DL does full, manual bag check) and by 7:30 the entry lines will be well into the plaza area which will also take time.

Having said that, you don’t have to take advantage of EE. Since it was mentioned, I thought I would share what my experience is to actually make it in to the park in time for EE.

 

[Chili327]

Having said that, you don’t have to take advantage of EE. Since it was mentioned, I thought I would share what my experience is to actually make it in to the park in time for EE.

Oh absolutely and you are not alone, I’m just more of a night owl so I usually get to the parks about 9:30/10-ish, but we stay most of the day (maybe take a break late afternoon) and jump on an eticket ride at 11:59pm… which I’m sure isn’t everyone cup of tea either, it’s just different strokes for different folks. I didn’t mean to sound like was anything wrong with EE at all, just that I don’t do it.

*edit*
I meant 11:59pm not am.

 

[Kit Jackson]

Oh absolutely and you are not alone, I’m just more of a night owl so I usually get to the parks about 9:30/10-ish, but we stay most of the day (maybe take a break late afternoon) and jump on an eticket ride at 11:59pm… which I’m sure isn’t everyone cup of tea either, it’s just different strokes for different folks.

I'm with you. We always get to the parks later in the morning each day and by the end of the trip, we have usually done most of what we wanted to, even riding some things twice. However, we also tend to do longer trips (5 days), so we have more time than someone trying cover the same amount of rides/shows/attractions in 3 days.

 

[MonocularVision]

While not quite as empty as the mornings, we prefer the late nights over early mornings as well. If I could make it happen, I would do both and nap during the day but most of the family isn’t up for that.

 

[BlueGreen5]

Oh absolutely and you are not alone, I’m just more of a night owl so I usually get to the parks about 9:30/10-ish, but we stay most of the day (maybe take a break late afternoon) and jump on an eticket ride at 11:59pm… which I’m sure isn’t everyone cup of tea either, it’s just different strokes for different folks. I didn’t mean to sound like was anything wrong with EE at all, just that I don’t do it.

*edit*
I meant 11:59pm not am.

Pardon the ignorance, what’s an eticket ride?

 

[Chili327]

Pardon the ignorance, what’s an eticket ride?

The biggest, most popular rides.
Radiator Springs Racers, Incredicoaster, Tron, Space Mountain, Flight of Passage, etc.

 

[LKing]

Pardon the ignorance, what’s an eticket ride?

This reference dates back to when Disneyland sold tickets for each attraction. The tickets were labeled as E, D, C, B, A with E being the most popular and A being the least popular. Many of us who grew up with ticket books still reference the popular, thrilling attractions as E ticket rides.

Pictures grabbed from D23 Archives.

 

[BlueGreen5]

@LKing @OlliePop27 @Tinkaboo @sophy1996 @disney-inspired @twodogs @DizMe @Kit Jackson @irlandaise @Chili327 @daneenm @MonocularVision

Appreciate you all SO much!

 

[Tinkaboo]

@LKing @OlliePop27 @Tinkaboo @sophy1996 @disney-inspired @twodogs @DizMe @Kit Jackson @irlandaise @Chili327 @daneenm @MonocularVision

Appreciate you all SO much!

And we all hope your trip is as magical as can be and that you love the parks as much as we do!

 

[twodogs]

Thanks! We're not allergic to fine dining, it's just not even close to top-of-list for us because our kids would still prefer a corndog to a steak 10 times out of 10. I'll look into that, it sounds neat!

Another dining option that we often did on departure day morning (we don’t go into the parks on departure day) is Storytellers. This is located in the GCH and is a character meal at breakfast and brunch times (but no characters at dinner). It is easy since it is right there where you are staying, if your kiddos like character meals. And for us, it was something fun to close out our trip when the girls were younger (we would do the same at Chef Mickey’s if we were in WDW).

Now our tradition as the girls have gotten older is to get beignets in DTD at Ralph Brennan’s for departure morning. Much less $$$ than Storytellers, but more messy!!

 

[BlueGreen5]

We just concluded our trip last week. Thank you all for the advice - it was all very welcome and well-taken! Some observations from a first-timer:

The parks were perfect - exactly what we had hoped for with this trip. And gosh, we could not get over how nice seemingly everyone was. For example, on the Circus Train, I saw a family with older children split up so that a younger child and her family could sit in one of the animal cage cars that the child had their heart set on. Countless times, I saw adults move out of a carefully-staked spot so that a child could see a parade/show - even at the brand new Skywalker Saga show that I expected to be obnoxiously cut-throat about perfect positioning because of where the viewing area is relative to the Millennium Falcon. It made us really happy to see that Disney adults can check themselves at DLR because it definitely does not always feel like that at WDW.

What a differece between the Monorail at DLR and the Monorail at WDW! Two completely different purposes result in two completely different experiences. The Monorail seems more like mass transit at WDW while it seems more like an attraction at DLR.

We loved the California version of Soarin'. It really makes you appreciate the diversity and beauty of the state and our country!

We noticed and liked how much less emphasis was placed on alcohol sales at DCA. Not that we have any problem with adults enjoying one or several drinks, it just seems really in your face at WDW outside of MK.

We remarked at how well-themed the Matterhorn felt for a near-original ride in the middle of a park in southern California that is based upon the snowy Swiss Alps.

Toon Town was really well done. I could see kids losing themselves here for hours with all of the little gags. I also loved how the location of MMRR and the Mickey meet-and-greet there actually make sense themactically.

This may be a case of overly hyped expectations, but the castle did not seem tiny to us. EVERYONE - all of the social media influencers, etc. - joke and warn about how insignificant Sleeping Beauty's castle at DLR is if you are accustomed to Cinderella's at MK. It's smaller, of course, but like, it's still a significant structure in the middle of the park that's still much bigger than my house. I was expecting to be shocked by it's size and just wasn't. TIA for being mature about the many jokes that can be made in response to this comment lol.

In retrospect, we were kind of glad IASW was under refurbishment. We know we missed out on an iconic ride, but we ran out of time even without it! We ended up being inside Disneyland for about 20 hours in total and, in that time, only ate two approx. 30-minute sit-down meals (i.e., about 19 hours walking, in queues, on rides, or watching shows). With that, we still were not able to go on Autopia, BTMRR, or Peter Pan.

Our mistake on timing was with SWGE. Not that there's anything wrong with it, but if you've been to WDW as many times as we have, SWGE is not a value-add at DLR. It is somewhat far from everything and, like at DHS, getting through it always takes up a considerable amount of time. Advice that I would have for a WDW veteran visiting DLR for the first time is to avoid SWGE unless it's a must-do every time for you and instead spend that time in Radiator Springs or Avengers Campus (which, to be clear, are both in the other park). I know others gave us that advice and, since we disregarded it, I'm now reiterating it.

Finally, a controversial hot take: the Grand Californian was not it for us. I don't mean to sound like I'm complaining about it. It's beautiful, comfortable, and well-appointed for sure. But, the atmosphere was not what we look for in a Disney resort. Many people complain about the Grand Floridian feeling stuffy and this, to us, felt 10x more stuffy than any time we have every stayed at the Grand Floridian. In our opinion, the darkness of the theming, plus the lack of open outdoor space, plus the naturally and artifically-created privacy from the parks and DTD, plus the fact that you have to go through security to really exit the resort just felt overly restrictive I guess. I don't know how else to explain it - almost like how it must have felt to live in a medieval castle. Still, top notch staff at the Grand Californian - could not say a single bad thing about anyone we encountered there.

 

[OlliePop27]

We just concluded our trip last week. Thank you all for the advice - it was all very welcome and well-taken! Some observations from a first-timer:

The parks were perfect - exactly what we had hoped for with this trip. And gosh, we could not get over how nice seemingly everyone was. For example, on the Circus Train, I saw a family with older children split up so that a younger child and her family could sit in one of the animal cage cars that the child had their heart set on. Countless times, I saw adults move out of a carefully-staked spot so that a child could see a parade/show - even at the brand new Skywalker Saga show that I expected to be obnoxiously cut-throat about perfect positioning because of where the viewing area is relative to the Millennium Falcon. It made us really happy to see that Disney adults can check themselves at DLR because it definitely does not always feel like that at WDW.

What a differece between the Monorail at DLR and the Monorail at WDW! Two completely different purposes result in two completely different experiences. The Monorail seems more like mass transit at WDW while it seems more like an attraction at DLR.

We loved the California version of Soarin'. It really makes you appreciate the diversity and beauty of the state and our country!

We noticed and liked how much less emphasis was placed on alcohol sales at DCA. Not that we have any problem with adults enjoying one or several drinks, it just seems really in your face at WDW outside of MK.

We remarked at how well-themed the Matterhorn felt for a near-original ride in the middle of a park in southern California that is based upon the snowy Swiss Alps.

Toon Town was really well done. I could see kids losing themselves here for hours with all of the little gags. I also loved how the location of MMRR and the Mickey meet-and-greet there actually make sense themactically.

This may be a case of overly hyped expectations, but the castle did not seem tiny to us. EVERYONE - all of the social media influencers, etc. - joke and warn about how insignificant Sleeping Beauty's castle at DLR is if you are accustomed to Cinderella's at MK. It's smaller, of course, but like, it's still a significant structure in the middle of the park that's still much bigger than my house. I was expecting to be shocked by it's size and just wasn't. TIA for being mature about the many jokes that can be made in response to this comment lol.

In retrospect, we were kind of glad IASW was under refurbishment. We know we missed out on an iconic ride, but we ran out of time even without it! We ended up being inside Disneyland for about 20 hours in total and, in that time, only ate two approx. 30-minute sit-down meals (i.e., about 19 hours walking, in queues, on rides, or watching shows). With that, we still were not able to go on Autopia, BTMRR, or Peter Pan.

Our mistake on timing was with SWGE. Not that there's anything wrong with it, but if you've been to WDW as many times as we have, SWGE is not a value-add at DLR. It is somewhat far from everything and, like at DHS, getting through it always takes up a considerable amount of time. Advice that I would have for a WDW veteran visiting DLR for the first time is to avoid SWGE unless it's a must-do every time for you and instead spend that time in Radiator Springs or Avengers Campus (which, to be clear, are both in the other park). I know others gave us that advice and, since we disregarded it, I'm now reiterating it.

Finally, a controversial hot take: the Grand Californian was not it for us. I don't mean to sound like I'm complaining about it. It's beautiful, comfortable, and well-appointed for sure. But, the atmosphere was not what we look for in a Disney resort. Many people complain about the Grand Floridian feeling stuffy and this, to us, felt 10x more stuffy than any time we have every stayed at the Grand Floridian. In our opinion, the darkness of the theming, plus the lack of open outdoor space, plus the naturally and artifically-created privacy from the parks and DTD, plus the fact that you have to go through security to really exit the resort just felt overly restrictive I guess. I don't know how else to explain it - almost like how it must have felt to live in a medieval castle. Still, top notch staff at the Grand Californian - could not say a single bad thing about anyone we encountered there.

So glad you had a great experience!

Having just gone to WDW and visiting DLR often, I also am shocked at how in your face the alcohol sales were at WDW. Much different at DL (a good thing IMO).

Last year when we were at DL, we never even went to SWGE except when I rode ROTR once right before closing. I'm happy they fit it into the park as a separate area.

I agree on the Grand. It is beautiful and I understand why it's so popular. The theme is just not my family's preference, which is purely subjective. I would rather be at DLH even though it's further away (if staying on site). We usually stay offsite and it's really convenient.

 

[nyy]

We just concluded our trip last week. Thank you all for the advice - it was all very welcome and well-taken! Some observations from a first-timer:

The parks were perfect - exactly what we had hoped for with this trip. And gosh, we could not get over how nice seemingly everyone was. For example, on the Circus Train, I saw a family with older children split up so that a younger child and her family could sit in one of the animal cage cars that the child had their heart set on. Countless times, I saw adults move out of a carefully-staked spot so that a child could see a parade/show - even at the brand new Skywalker Saga show that I expected to be obnoxiously cut-throat about perfect positioning because of where the viewing area is relative to the Millennium Falcon. It made us really happy to see that Disney adults can check themselves at DLR because it definitely does not always feel like that at WDW.

What a differece between the Monorail at DLR and the Monorail at WDW! Two completely different purposes result in two completely different experiences. The Monorail seems more like mass transit at WDW while it seems more like an attraction at DLR.

We loved the California version of Soarin'. It really makes you appreciate the diversity and beauty of the state and our country!

We noticed and liked how much less emphasis was placed on alcohol sales at DCA. Not that we have any problem with adults enjoying one or several drinks, it just seems really in your face at WDW outside of MK.

We remarked at how well-themed the Matterhorn felt for a near-original ride in the middle of a park in southern California that is based upon the snowy Swiss Alps.

Toon Town was really well done. I could see kids losing themselves here for hours with all of the little gags. I also loved how the location of MMRR and the Mickey meet-and-greet there actually make sense themactically.

This may be a case of overly hyped expectations, but the castle did not seem tiny to us. EVERYONE - all of the social media influencers, etc. - joke and warn about how insignificant Sleeping Beauty's castle at DLR is if you are accustomed to Cinderella's at MK. It's smaller, of course, but like, it's still a significant structure in the middle of the park that's still much bigger than my house. I was expecting to be shocked by it's size and just wasn't. TIA for being mature about the many jokes that can be made in response to this comment lol.

In retrospect, we were kind of glad IASW was under refurbishment. We know we missed out on an iconic ride, but we ran out of time even without it! We ended up being inside Disneyland for about 20 hours in total and, in that time, only ate two approx. 30-minute sit-down meals (i.e., about 19 hours walking, in queues, on rides, or watching shows). With that, we still were not able to go on Autopia, BTMRR, or Peter Pan.

Our mistake on timing was with SWGE. Not that there's anything wrong with it, but if you've been to WDW as many times as we have, SWGE is not a value-add at DLR. It is somewhat far from everything and, like at DHS, getting through it always takes up a considerable amount of time. Advice that I would have for a WDW veteran visiting DLR for the first time is to avoid SWGE unless it's a must-do every time for you and instead spend that time in Radiator Springs or Avengers Campus (which, to be clear, are both in the other park). I know others gave us that advice and, since we disregarded it, I'm now reiterating it.

Finally, a controversial hot take: the Grand Californian was not it for us. I don't mean to sound like I'm complaining about it. It's beautiful, comfortable, and well-appointed for sure. But, the atmosphere was not what we look for in a Disney resort. Many people complain about the Grand Floridian feeling stuffy and this, to us, felt 10x more stuffy than any time we have every stayed at the Grand Floridian. In our opinion, the darkness of the theming, plus the lack of open outdoor space, plus the naturally and artifically-created privacy from the parks and DTD, plus the fact that you have to go through security to really exit the resort just felt overly restrictive I guess. I don't know how else to explain it - almost like how it must have felt to live in a medieval castle. Still, top notch staff at the Grand Californian - could not say a single bad thing about anyone we encountered there.

Thank you for your thoughts on everything!
We are visiting DLR for the first time in late June, staying at GCH. We have been to WDW many times and stayed at all levels of resorts. Our favorites at WDW are WL and BWI. We have never stayed at GF, but visited a few times for meals and shopping. We are excited for everything! I booked GCH because of its entrances to DCA to DD. You can't beat that anywhere at WDW. It was also described as the closest feeling to the Disney bubble in CA.
I appreciate you sharing your thoughts!

 

[Tinkaboo]

Glad you had a great time and that the people were all kind to you and yours. I find this to be true each time I'm there. I am always solo...last time, some ladies were admiring myPooh Bear backpack and we chatted a bit. They were just sitting onthe steps in one of the little areas on Main Street. When they found out I was alone..."oh, c'mon and hang with us today, we're just hanging out, taking it easy..."
How sweet is that...and I would be willing to bet a beignet that would never happen in WDW!

Know what you mean about SWGE, sometimesI don't even wander back that far, or to ToonTown either. They just don't hold much attraction for me or I have to be in the mood for it.

Interesting about GC...seems people either really love it or are MEH, me being in the latter. I'd rather spend my money on Loungefly bags

Anyhoo...glad your trip was pleasant and enjoyable ! Y'all come back now, ya hear?

 

[irlandaise]

Having just gone to WDW and visiting DLR often, I also am shocked at how in your face the alcohol sales were at WDW. Much different at DL (a good thing IMO).

Can one of you expound upon that a bit more? Do servers at WDW suggest alcoholic beverages, or what?

 

[OlliePop27]

Can one of you expound upon that a bit more? Do servers at WDW suggest alcoholic beverages, or what?

Just for me, I noticed it being offered more explicitly by servers and more visible overall. For example, in the MK they have full bar offerings at the MK Dessert Party. This is something you would not find at DL Park (yet). Alcohol sales at DL Park are still quite limited - for now. It is a high margin offering for the company, so the sales are only likely to increase at all parks.

 

[Tinkaboo]

Can one of you expound upon that a bit more? Do servers at WDW suggest alcoholic beverages, or what?

When we were there last year, I noticed alcohol everywhere...people drink " around the world" at EPCOT and you see a lot of inebriated people...Iwas shocked, only because looking at the price of drinks, people must be dropping a couple hundred bucks on booze. Each to their own, I guess...just glad we don't have that at DL.

 

[BlueGreen5]

Can one of you expound upon that a bit more? Do servers at WDW suggest alcoholic beverages, or what?

@OlliePop27 and @Tinkaboo pretty much summed it up.

You still don't notice it too much at MK - it's only at some select TS spots and private parties, like the dessert parties that were mentioned. But, at the other parks and resorts, it is sold everywhere openly and a lot of the drinks look kid-friendly (specifically, a lot of the drinks around the world are frozen drinks or come in fun souvenir mugs). Naturally, this leads to my younger kids asking for something they can't have. That's really the nature of our objection - having to tell our kids unequivocally "no" at WDW - otherwise our kids know what alcohol is, understand that adults can drink it but not kids, and beyond that it's rare to see someone, even at EPCOT, who is obviously (to a kid, at least) inebriated. On the other hand, I'm not sure I recall seeing anyone drinking openly at DCA. The coasts have way different cultures in this respect.

 

[LKing]

When we were there last year, I noticed alcohol everywhere...people drink " around the world" at EPCOT and you see a lot of inebriated people...Iwas shocked, only because looking at the price of drinks, people must be dropping a couple hundred bucks on booze. Each to their own, I guess...just glad we don't have that at DL.

I think at a certain point people become numb about how much they spend at WDW. The alcohol probably helps that.

Also, at WDW, it is easy to stumble back to your hotel via Disney transportation. At DLR, locals need to get in a car to drive home.

@BlueGreen5 glad you had a good vacation. I just returned from WDW and let some kids sit on the ground in front of me while I stood for the parade. Even though it didn't impact them, the people next to me were livid. They kept pushing their strollers closer and closer to the kids and "accidentally" pushed the kids off the curb. I was appalled.

I agree, I think Toontown is really well done.

 

[OlliePop27]

I think at a certain point people become numb about how much they spend at WDW. The alcohol probably helps that.

Also, at WDW, it is easy to stumble back to your hotel via Disney transportation. At DLR, locals need to get in a car to drive home.

@BlueGreen5 glad you had a good vacation. I just returned from WDW and let some kids sit on the ground in front of me while I stood for the parade. Even though it didn't impact them, the people next to me were livid. They kept pushing their strollers closer and closer to the kids and "accidentally" pushed the kids off the curb. I was appalled.

I agree, I think Toontown is really well done.

I'm sorry to hear that. The only heavy crowd adventure we braved in March was HEA from the MK Hub. We lucked out - it rained a little before and the park emptied out. We had no one in front of us and not many around us. I was really dreading it from all the horror stories I've read of crowd "incidents" at WDW. We could not bring ourselves to brave the parade nor did we try Luminous.

Glad to be back "home" at DLR this summer. @LKing please post a report if you have time! Would love to hear your thoughts. Feel free to use that thread I started the other week.